Lemonade

LEMONADE
Formed in San Francisco, Lemonade initially crafted visceral, psychedelic, and vaguely tropical rave journeys that touched upon dozens of the group’s influences (Liquid Liquid, Sons of a Loop Da Loop Era, Digital Mystikz) without sounding particularly like any of them. Early shows offered otherworldy, mind-bending experiences that drew a loyal MDMA-crazed local following. The phenomenon only intensified after the release of the band’s self-titled debut LP in 2008 and subsequent move to New York. That mostly improvised, ecstatic collection of “agile, hedonistic pop music” (as called by Radio 1′s Mary Anne Hobbes) earned praise from the indie and dance communities alike. Pitchfork wrote, “it vividly replicates that first sensation of losing yourself in a peak-hour, strobe-lit reverie, where the communal act of dancing teeters between liberation and disorientation.” 2010 saw the band’s second release, Pure Moods, an effort by Lemonade to steer their schizophrenic palate through pop waters. Combining warped old-school rave, R&B, grime, a variety of global rhythms, and other styles too numerous to list, the record was an important stepping stone for a group that was only beginning to discover the emotional potency of out-and-out pop songwriting. Now, more than two years later, that transformation is complete, as Diver documents Lemonade operating as a focused unit, one that’s more interested in speaking to your heart than blowing your mind. Traces of the group’s disparate musical interests still populate the record, but make no mistake, Diver is a bold and sensual electronic pop record. Diver swims ecstatically in every thing from the melodies of early 90′s R&B, UK 2-step Garage, Balearic house and NY freestyle to ’80s pop-rock nostalgia, wispy new age, boy-band innocence, and synth-driven Euro-trance. The production, assisted by Fisherspooner collaborator Le Chev, is exceptionally crisp. Diver also contains some of most easily digestible music Lemonade has ever produced, yet it is anything but shallow. Callan’s lyrics now look inward, to his attempts to hold on to redemptive love and romance in a cybernetic, information-rich world. "The three San Franciscans-cum-Brooklynites in the band Lemonade ... process the best bits [of dance-music subgenres, hot world music, and the post-punk revival] into something practical and satisfying. ... With their muscular, aggressive approach to dance music, Lemonade operate from a similar base as other percussive post-punk new-schoolers, from party-starting outfits like !!! and Professor Murder to more abrasive acts like Aa and Liars. But the trio strike a singular balance between weird and wired: eight-minute centerpiece "Nasifon" finds Clendenin's voice sliding further into indecipherability-- imagine Metal Box-era John Lydon bellowing out Sigur Rós' Hopelandic lyric sheet-- but layers it with Arabic-accented melodies, machine-gunned synths and a pounding 4/4 beat that would go over both in Williamsburg warehouse parties and Dubai super clubs." --Pitchfork

LE1F
"Le1f is so good it's like a reverse 'It Gets Better' video; any other teenage queers with rap ambitions should just quit now. It’s like, of course the production wünderkid behind your favorite song has made the best rap album of the year, in his fucking bedroom....He’s a fucking star ascending. Dark York is like a perverted fantasy of what rap should actually sound like. Le1f is sexy, catty, funny, fast, and smart as hell. Whether coyly twanging in his native New York-ese or rapid-fire mind-scrabbling under his breath, Le1f’s delivery is alternately bombastic and understated. He knows how good he is; he doesn’t have to scramble for your approval. Le1f’s probably going to be a huge fucking deal." --Vice/Noisey